"Your team has arrived all right, but what I want to know is whether Aishwarya Rai is coming or not," said Irfan Ullah, manager of Salt 'N Pepper, with inquisitive eyes. "She is really beautiful. I know other Indian film stars are coming to watch some of the matches, but I am more interested in Aishwarya Rai."

France-based Ghulam Ali and family, comprising wife and daughter, felt that Aishwarya Rai's absence was sorely felt. "They got everybody for this grand show, people like Amitabh, Rekha, Shah Rukh, Dharamendra and Preity, but we definitely missed Ash. Our days would have made, if she had also come for this show," he said.